


"I'll Always Take Care Of You"

by iamthatgurl



Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Queen (Band)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-09-15 06:19:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16928064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamthatgurl/pseuds/iamthatgurl
Summary: Something happens to Mary during the Queen's performance. Freddie promised to always take care of her and he feels like he failed at that.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> After watching the movie Bohemian Rhapsody I wondered what kind of a relationship Freddie and Mary actually had and how protective they were of each other. The story is happening sometime between 1981 - 1983, before Jim.

"How long have we got?" Freddie asked, doing small jumps, feeling the adrenaline rush through his body. It was his normal routine before a live performance.  
It was a smaller gig in London, nowhere near to what they had done in the past which included much larger venues and performing in foreign countries. It was a nice change, something a bit more relaxing, although Freddie knew it was harder to entertain and control a smaller crowd than a much larger one. Still, this should not be a problem.  
"Five to ten minutes," someone answered.  
Freddie nodded, looking around the dressing room. The other three band mates were sitting down on the couch, talking and laughing. The atmosphere in the room was electric. As it always is right before the show. Taking one last look in the mirror, inspecting his stage clothes, Freddie concluded he looked good and was ready to perform.  
Paul Prenter, who was standing in the corner of the room, approached him, speaking in a low voice, "I've got everything ready for the after party."  
Freddie grinned, "Marvelous. Same club as last night?"  
"Yes, did you have something else in mind?"  
"No, no, I loved it there, darling. For the half an hour I was there, that is," Freddie said cockily, remembering the events of the last night. Paul had taken him to a new club, but it didn't take long for Freddie to find someone to take home with him.  
Paul snickered wearily, then leaned closer to Freddie, almost whispering, "I have something. If you find yourself needing more energy for tonight's show."  
The lead singer dismissed him, looking in the mirror again, fixing his hair, "Paul, don't be ridiculous. You know I don't like to take anything before a performance, dear."  
"Of course, I was ..." he started, but was interrupted by someone barging into the room. Everyone turned to look at the person. It was a someone from the staff who were hired to help at tonight's gig.  
He seemed worried and finally Brian asked what they all had been wondering, "Is everything alright?"  
The guy nodded, "Yes, everything is in order. We are simply having a bit of a problem with ..." he stopped himself, "Nothing we can't manage."  
That seemed to be good enough for Freddie, who dismissed it and started moving his arms up and down, exercising a bit and preparing mentally for the show.  
"Can I get anyone anything? Water or anything? The stage is all set, the crowd is waiting for you," the guy continued nervously, "But I'd advise we wait for a few more minutes, for some things to settle down."  
This got Roger's attention, "What things?"  
The assistant forced a smile, "There's been an incident, but nothing to worry about. All is in order now."  
"Incident?" Paul joined the conversation. Anything that could potentially hurt Queen's, or Freddie's reputation had to be dealt with immediately.  
"Some girl got jumped at the toilets," the guy said, bringing his hands up, trying to keep everyone calm, "But it is being dealt with as we speak."  
Everyone looked at each other, a bit worriedly.  
"What do you mean jumped?" Brian raised an inquisitive eyebrow, standing up from the couch, crossing his arms around his chest, "Is anyone injured?"  
"No, no. Nothing like that. We are dealing with it," everyone noticed he tried to sound convincing, but there was nervousness in his tone.  
"For fuck's sake. You should have told us immediately," Freddie's voice was sharp, "We don't like things to be kept from us. Where is the girl?"  
"Has the police been called?" Paul jumped in, worry evident on his face. But not worry for the girl. Worry for the band's reputation.  
"She's in the room with the staff, a bit in shock. She refuses to call the police."  
"That room is smaller than a closet. And not to mention freezing," Freddie stated, "Bring her here. She can wait here while we perform," the assistant disappeared, following his orders. Freddie then turned to Paul, "You deal with it. Do find out what happened."  
Everyone was a bit shocked by the news, even though they had no idea what exactly had happened. A girl was jumped at the toilets. Perhaps there was a girl fight. Perhaps she was mugged. It was not the first time they had to deal with violence on their shows. There were a few occasions where they had to stop performing so they could break up a fight that started randomly in the crowd. It was not unusual, with all the adrenaline and emotions and alcohol that something like that happened.  
Freddie exhaled heavily, then looked at his band mates, deciding to go on with the show "Ready?"  
Roger seemed to be the only one not at all affected by the news. He jumped up, a grin on his face, "Ready, Freddie."  
"Alright,» Freddie started, but was again interrupted by the doors opening and nothing could prepare him for what he saw next.  
A small group of people entered, including the assistant from before and he was holding a girl by her elbow, providing support. Freddie could feel his stomach drop and all the blood leave his head when he recognized the girl who was limping towards them, visibly shaking.  
"M-Mary?" Freddie let out, needing a long moment before he could finally force his legs to move, rushing to her side, then stopping, not knowing what to do. He had never seen her like this before and didn't know where and if it was alright to touch her.  
"Darling, come, sit down," finally he simply took her by the arm and lead her to the couch, where he sat down next to her.  
She finally looked up with a slight smile and mumbled weakly, "Freddie."  
That sight broke him. He could see she was faking it, forcing a smile, probably not to worry him. Never in all the years that he had known her had he seen her like this.  
Brian kneeled down next to her, "What happened?"  
Both Roger and John simply stood there in silence, not knowing what to do. Meanwhile, Paul approached the staff, "The police still has not been called, am I right?"  
They nodded and then Paul motioned for them all to leave the room with him. Freddie did not even notice, his eyes did not move from Mary, who still said nothing about the incident.  
"My love," he took her hands in his, feeling them shake, "Are you alright?"  
What a stupid question, he mentally slapped himself.  
He then turned to his band mates, "Someone get her something to cover up, a jacket or a towel, anything will do. She is freezing."  
Again, he looked at her, "W-We heard some girl was jumped. Nobody told us it was-." then he took a deep breath, "Can you tell me what happened?"  
"Freddie,« she finally spoke, "I-I'm fine. I simply wish to go home."  
Roger appeared from the other side of the room, carrying a leather jacket. It did not escape Freddie's attention the way she flinched when Roger covered her with it.  
"Thank you," she said, forcing a smile again.  
"No problem," Roger answered, "Can I get you anything else? Water, maybe?"  
"No need, I'm fine, really," she whispered, holding the jacket tighter around her.  
Freddie took one hard look at her, noticing she still had her small purse with her, hanging from her shoulder.  
He then shook his head, still in shock over everything, "I thought you said you had a date tonight. I thought you weren't coming to our show."  
"He ... cancelled," Mary answered, "And I decided to ... come see you. Better than being at home all alone," she eventually finished, her voice much fainter than it had been when she started.  
"We were told you were jumped," Brian spoke carefully.  
She nodded, "Yes, there was this-" her voice cut off, all the power gone out of it, "Guy. In the women's toilet," she forced the words out.  
Freddie tightened his grip on hands, his protective side kicking in, "How much did he take? What did he take? We will replace it all, darling. Don't you worry about it. Did he take your keys to the apartment?" then he turned to his band mates, "There will have to be arrangements to change the locks on the door..."  
"Freddie," she stopped him, still looking down, "He...He didn't take anything."  
The silence that followed was positively deafening. All that could be heard were the sounds coming from the people outside, the crowd who was still waiting for their favorite band to come on stage and start the show.  
"What do you mean, dear?" he looked at her, confusion on his face. Or maybe it was denial.  
Mary opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She did not even look at him or anyone in the room.  
"Look," Brian started, "Perhaps we should call the police."  
That made her look up, panic on her face, "There is no reason for that, really. I...I'm ... fine." A slight smile broke out across her face but it seemed in complete contrast to everything she was feeling.  
Freddie started rubbing her cold hands with his in an attempt to comfort her, "Darling, you will sleep at my house tonight and for how ever long you need to. The locks will be changed tomorrow - "  
She cut him off, "Fred, he didn't take my keys," her voice shook as she continued, "Or my money."  
The silence from the other three members of the group indicated that they all knew what she was implying. Or at least suspected. But Freddie still refused to see it.  
He kept rubbing her hands, trying to comfort her and wanting to hug her, but afraid to do so. He kept waiting for her to speak. When she didn't, he finally looked at her. Really looked. He frowned painfully as he studied the sight before him and what he saw, made his stomach turn. Her hair was a mess, her makeup was ruined and her face was puffy, like she had been crying. Her clothes were obviously messed with, he noticed. The part on her skirt that was supposed to be on the back was on the front. He blinked a few times, trying to ignore the obvious sight of her ripped blouse. When she noticed him looking at her, she readjusted the jacket, covering herself.  
"Darling," he finally spoke, his own voice trembling a bit, although he tried to hide the panic in it, "We need to get you to a hospital."  
That seemed to have the same effect as when Brian mentioned the police.  
"No! That's ... that's not necessary," she protested.  
"We need to get you checked out to see if you are alright," he insisted, his voice gentle and reassuring.  
Suddenly Paul burst into the room, "I need you on stage immediately, the crowd is going crazy. We are already late."  
Freddie ignored him, his attention completely on Mary. The other three band members seemed conflicted. They knew the seriousness of the situation with Mary, but they also knew they had a job to do. They were all looking at each other nervously, no one wanted to be the one to speak to Freddie.  
Finally Paul did it, "Freddie, I need you on that stage. We are running late."  
"I'm not doing the fucking show," Freddie said, matter-of-factly.  
"You have to," Paul insisted, "We cannot cancel now, that would be suicide."  
Brian took a deep breath, continuing carefully, "What do you want us to do, Freddie?"  
He knew he couldn't change the lead singer's mind, at least not with Paul's arguments.  
"I'm taking Mary to the hospital," Freddie said, finally looking up at his band mates and Paul.  
"People are waiting," Paul tried again, "The fans."  
"I cannot go out there and perform knowing that the bastard that hurt Mary is in that crowd," Freddie said venomously, his voice almost a snarl.  
"Fred, listen to me," Mary finally spoke again, "Go out there and do your job. I'll be fine, I promise. We will talk after. You cannot let all those people down. I know you know that."  
The singer seemed conflicted. He knew what he had to do, it would be crazy to simply bail at that moment, but how could he go on that stage tonight and sing and pretend everything was alright? He had some moments in the past where personal issues made it really difficult for him to perform or at least go on stage. But once he was there, all his problems seemed to disappear. But it was never like this. It was never something wrong with Mary. Mary was the only constant thing in his life. He could always rely on her being there for him.  
Paul chimed in, »Yes, listen to her, Freddie. I'll stay here with her, making sure she is alright and when you are done with the show, we will see what can be done about this whole situation. Alright?«  
Mary pulled her hands from Freddie, "I didn't want to bother you before the show. I didn't want them to tell you anything and... "  
He interrupted her, "You could never bother me, darling," he said, not leaving any room for arguments.  
Again, there was a long moment of silence.  
"Freddie?" John finally spoke.  
The singer closed his eyes for a moment and exhaled, "This is fucking ridiculous," then he looked at Mary again, almost whispering as he spoke, "Are you hurt, darling? Are you sure you don't want to be taken to the hospital? I can arrange it and then come see you immediately after the show."  
She shook her head, a weak smile on her face, "I'll wait for you here."  
Before he could say anything else, Paul grabbed him by his shoulders, pulling him up, "Alright, lets go. We need to hurry."  
Freddie exchanged one last look with Mary before he was rushed out the room.


	2. Chapter 2

To anyone who didn't know what was happening behind the scenes, Freddie seemed like he was having the time of his life. The rest of the band really admired that about their lead singer. No matter what kind of troubles they were having, once they were on that stage nothing else mattered. Except entertaining the crowd. And Freddie had the toughest job, the rest of them could hide behind their instrument, but he was the instrument. It was his job to win over the crowd and somehow he always succeeded at that. Even that night. The fans were eating out of the palm of his hand, singing with him, dancing, responding to him.

  
After a good hour and a half, the band said their goodbyes. With one last "thank you, we love you", Freddie waved to the crowd and disappeared from the stage.

 

***

  
"Where is she?" Freddie demanded, looking around the room. There was no sight of Mary and that immediately made him go into panic.  
"Freddie, calm down," Paul stood up from the chair, "She is in there," he pointed to the door leading to the toilet.  
That seemed to calm him down, but he was still in a terrible mood. The rest of the band soon appeared as well, entering the room then shooting the question at Freddie with their eyes.  
"She's in there," he answered, throwing a glance at the toilet door. He stood still, his arms crossed over his chest, worry evident on his face. His demeanor was completely different than it was 5 minutes previously on the stage.  
"I have to say she is surprisingly fine, given the incident," Paul continued, raising his eyebrow, "Freddie. I have done everything in my power to convince her to contact the police or go to the hospital, but to no avail."  
"Do we even know what exactly happened?" Brian chimed in.  
Paul shook his head, "I couldn't get anything out of her. I've talked to the staff and they described the incident, but they have only seen the after. When the attacker left and she came stumbling out."

  
Freddie clenched his fists as he heard Paul use the word attacker. He was not a fan of violence and it had been years since his last boxing match, but he felt he could punch a hole through the wall at that very moment.

  
"I can't believe this happened at our gig," Roger shook his head in disbelief, "This guy bought tickets to our show, then jumped a random girl and then what? Stayed to enjoy our music?"

  
Freddie kept silent through all of this, his eyes glued to the toilet door. He tried to ignore the conversation that was happening, trying to ignore that the attacker was in the crowd while they performed. It sent shivers down his spine simply thinking about it.

  
"... I have arranged everything for her to be safely taken to her apartment,"

  
Paul's words brought Freddie back to reality and he turned to his manager, disbelief in his eyes,"What the hell are you talking about?"  
"There is a car waiting in the back for her," Paul explained, "She -"  
"I thought I made it clear before when I said she is coming home with me," Freddie raised his eyebrows, waiting for the reply, "Was that not clear?"  
"I simply thought -"  
"What did you think, dear?"

  
The tension in the room was high. The other members of the band never really liked Paul, but tolerated him because of Freddie. And they decided not to intervene in their little argument.

  
Paul approached Freddie, lowering his voice, "We had plans tonight, after the show? I take it you are canceling them?"  
"Paul, darling," Freddie started lovingly, but then his voice got cold, "What kind of a stupid question is that?"

Paul's face turned red from embarrassment and as soon as he opened his mouth to answer, Mary came out of the toilet, a bit startled at the sight before her. Everyone was staring at her and it was making her uncomfortable, causing her to cross her arms over her chest.

  
Freddie was the first to speak, "Darling, we are ready to leave. There is a car waiting for us to take us to my place."

  
She nodded and visibly relaxed, hearing that sentence. Freddie extended his arm to her and she accepted it for support.

  
"We will talk tomorrow," Freddie said to his band mates, knowing they were worried about the whole situation.  
"Oh, Roger," Mary exclaimed, unzipping the leather jacket she was wearing, "I almost forgot to give this back to you."  
The blond man raised his hand up, offering a smile, "No, no. Keep it for tonight. I'll come by tomorrow."  
Mary only smiled in return.  
"The car is waiting for us?" Freddie threw a glance at Paul, who simply nodded. And with that they both left the room, making their way to the back exit.

  
***

  
Freddie noticed Mary refused to look at him for the whole drive to his house. She was silent, offering only short answers to his questions. He was still finding it difficult to ask anything else besides, "Are you alright?"  
And she kept insisting she was.

  
***

  
"Darling, do you want something to eat?" he asked as they entered his house, "I believe I have some leftovers from earlier today, but if you wish -"  
"I-I'm not hungry, really," she refused, awkwardly looking around. She had been to his house many times before. It was like her second home almost. But for some reason at that moment she felt awkward, not knowing where to put herself.  
Freddie noticed this and tried to ease the tension, "Perhaps tea? I think I could manage that."  
His efforts didn't go unnoticed and she smiled weakly, "I appreciate it, but I really can't bring myself to eat anything. Or drink. I simply want..." she trailed off, looking up at the staircase that led to the second floor.  
"Tell me, darling," he insisted, "Anything you want."  
"I really wish to take a shower," she whispered, "And then I'd like to go to bed. I'm...Exhausted."  
Freddie tensed up, not knowing how to proceed. He still had no idea of what had happened to her. He had some idea, but didn't want to jump to conclusions.  
"Mary, dear," he started slowly, carefully choosing his words, "Are you sure you are alright?"  
She was taken aback by that, "W-What do you mean? I said I was, didn't I?"  
"I-I simply meant-." he tried again,"You haven't said much on the way here."

  
She kept looking at the floor, avoiding his gaze. This was Mary in front of him. They had been through a lot since meeting for the first time. Failed engagement, cheating, his sexuality. They had been through a lot of shit. But Freddie had never seen her like this. Not even when he told her he was cheating on her. Not even when he told her he was attracted to men.

  
Taking a deep breath, he approached her, putting his hands on her shoulders gently, "Sweetheart, can I take you to a doctor? After we'll come straight back and you can take a shower and -"  
"Fred," she stopped him,"There is no need for me to go to a hospital," a shaky breath escaped her, "The only thing I need is a shower. And sleep."

  
He knew he would not be able to change her mind. Mary was very stubborn and independent. The fact that she even agreed to come to his house actually surprised him. But at the same time, that probably meant something was really wrong. Finally he let it go, coming to a realization that he was not going to change her mind. The only thing he could do to her was make sure she felt safe.

  
"Alright," he smiled reassuringly, then clapped his hand in excitement, "I can make a relaxing bath for you. With bubbles. Do you like lavender?"  
Mary let out a short laugh, "You know I do."  
"Marvelous."

  
***

  
While Mary was taking a bath, Freddie took a quick shower in the second bathroom, changing from his stage clothes into comfortable silk pajama bottoms and a robe. It was fortunate Freddie had some woman's clothes in his house, though he didn't remember where it came from. It came in handy tonight, at least he found something comfortable for Mary to change into. As he sat on the edge of his bed, waiting for her, he couldn't help but feel his throat close up. His whole body was tensed. It was terrifying what worrying could do to one's body.

  
"Freddie?"  
"In here," he answered, standing up from the bed.

  
Mary walked to the bedroom, seeing Freddie there, then stopped at the door. Freddie took one look at her and thought she looked beautiful. Wearing only sweatpants and a baggy shirt, she was still the most beautiful woman he'd seen in his life.

  
"Well, come in, darling. Don't just stand there," he extended his arm towards her and she approached him slowly.  
"The bath was wonderful. I feel much better already," she said, but Freddie could sense that was not the truth.

  
Mary looked around the room, a small black thing on the bedside table, catching her attention. It was a leather hat.

  
"I've never seen you with a hat," she turned to Freddie, surprise written on her face, "Though I think you'd look rather nice."  
Freddie tensed up, "It- It's not mine."  
"Oh?"  
"I was in a club yesterday and ... I met someone ..."he was stumbling over words, "We were out celebrating," then he stopped himself, making his way over to the hat, putting it in a drawer, "It doesn't matter, dear."

  
He was not ashamed of his male one night stands, but it did not feel right speaking to Mary about it. Especially not on this night.

  
"Oh," was her only response and she looked down awkwardly.  
As he opened his mouth to speak, Mary moved her hair from her face and unintentionally revealed her neck which had a huge bruise showing there.  
Before he could stop himself, the words escaped him, "Oh, darling! Let me see," he said worryingly as he took approached her, gently touching her neck.  
Mary moved away, "Freddie, please."

  
He was shocked, but managed to hide it. Obviously him seeing it made her upset. And that was the last thing he wanted at the moment.

  
"I-I don't want to be a burden to you," Mary exhaled, shaking her head, "If you just show me where I can sleep -"  
"Well, right here, darling," Freddie pointed at his bed.  
"Fred ..."  
"You are sleeping with me tonight and that is it," he told her with the most serious look upon his face.

  
Mary simply stared at him for a few long moments, before silently agreeing. And that was what worried Freddie the most. If everything was alright as she was insisting it was, she would not want to sleep with him. Freddie knew it was a long night ahead of them and he was decided to make her tell him what happened. This was Mary. They took care of each other. It was now his time to take care of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your lovely reviews. :)


End file.
